Second-annual Dance Marathon on Jan. 26; still time to sign up, donate

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Every year, the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago provides specialized care to nearly 150,000 kids from all around the globe. They call the families of patients they have treated “miracle families,” and with good reason: the work done for these children’s health and the well-being of those who love them really is a miracle.

However, medical miracles don’t come at an easy price. The hospital and the kids who are treated there rely on donations from supporters, fundraisers, and more. Without these, the miraculous work done within the hospital’s walls wouldn’t be possible. Thankfully, such fundraisers do happen, including a young tradition at Cary-Grove High School.

On Saturday, January 26th, CG’s student council will host their second-annual Dance Marathon. It’s a night full of a lot of dancing, but also games, raffles, stories and fundraising for the kids.

Students can sign up online, set a personal fundraising goal and encourage friends and family to donate through the site.

“With a donation, you are directly contributing to [Lurie Children’s Hospital’s] success,” senior Renee Hintz said. “You can know that you helped, and that alone is amazing. Every bit counts!”

Hintz, along with many others, runs a student council committee specifically created to organize, brainstorm ideas for, and advertise the 2019 CGDM.

“Nothing would really be possible without everyone there,” she said.

One of those committee members is junior Jordan Smith. She’s thrilled to be part of such a great cause, especially one that has a special significance to her and her family.

“This fundraiser is really special to me because I was a Lurie’s kid,” Smith said. “Lurie’s helped me out a lot when I was little, and they’re a huge part of my story.”

Smith, Hintz, and everyone else involved in planning this event wants to make sure participants truly know what even the smallest donation can do for someone. One way they hope to accomplish this is having some special guests come in to speak to everyone.

“We have miracle families coming in to talk and basically tell their story, tell how Lurie’s helped them,” Smith said. “You can see as many statistics as you want, but once you see the real people, it becomes real.”

“I remember last year, about everyone in the gym was crying after listening to a speaker talk about how much LCH has helped her son,” Hintz said. “It is really such a humbling experience, and it makes you realize that what you’re doing really does matter.”

Of course, no dance would be complete without great music. Thankfully, Student Council has found both a non-profit DJ and the group Green Easter. Green Easter is a grunge-rock band composed of CG students Michael Wlodek, Nazzy Mitchell, and Emerson Brashear. You can familiarize yourself with their music by looking them up on both Apple Music and Spotify.

CG’s student council has done everything they can and more to make sure the 2019 CGDM will be a hit for students and bring in lots of money for an amazing cause.

“If you are unsure of participating, it is always worth it to just sign up. You don’t want to regret not doing it,” Hintz said. “It really is one of the best experiences you could have at CG.”

The event will be on Saturday, January 26th. You can sign up online and/or donate at the link given above.

Student council, the Trojan Times, and everyone already involved hopes to see you there. Remember, every donation counts, and as the saying goes, it’s all for the kids.